@theatrework - actually, Arts schools are not necessarily all that different. Comprehensive high school students don’t necessarily spend any more time in core academics than in arts schools - they typically get study periods, electives, gym classes, etc. where arts schools kids get art blocks. The number of academic core classes works out about the same. My d attended a PA high school where students spend 3-4 hours a day in their arts blocks and students from her school routinely get accepted to HYPS and other top colleges. She had no trouble with academic acceptances and received academic merit scholarships to every school that she applied to (most of the scholarships were quite large), despite “only” taking AP classes in History, English (Lang and Lit), Government (one semester), and Macro Economics (one semester) and “only” taking 3 non-AP science classes and Math only through Algebra II and a practical stats class. Despite taking only a limited number of AP classes, she did well enough on the AP exams that she did take to place out of 23 hours at Western Michigan (and would have received similar credit from most of her other admits).